


Networking

by t_hens



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bisexuality, Coming Out, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Light Angst, M/M, Phan - Freeform, Phanfiction, Phil Lester POV, Slow Burn, Strangers to Friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-22
Updated: 2018-06-03
Packaged: 2019-04-26 01:48:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14391654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/t_hens/pseuds/t_hens
Summary: Phil isn't expecting much out of the temporary job he gets at his local insurance company; a steady paycheck, a chance to make some business connections, maybe turning it into a full time position? Mostly just something to get his parents off his back for the next few months until he can figure out his next move. What he certainly isn't expecting is Dan Howell; the terribly cute guy who is definitely flirting with him and also in some sort of uncertain terms his boss. How will Phil navigate his blossoming feelings for someone who is most definitely off limits?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is the story of how my wife and I met/fell in love. I hope you enjoy :)

Phil pulled nervously on his tie and fidgeted with the stack of papers the man in HR had given him. The chair he was sitting in was not comfortable, and the room had that generic company feel about it, but the people so far had been nice. The HR rep who had been helping him came back into the room and handed him the temporary access badge for the building. Phil glanced at the picture and tried not to groan. He looked like a goon. His smile was too big, uncomfortable and awkward. His hair was sticking up in random spots and his tie was crooked. Cool, this would be the picture that would be on his badge for the next 3-4 months. 

He followed the man into a hallway and into another room, where he let Phil know he could wait for his supervisor to grab him. Phil nodded and started doodling nervously on the pieces of papers he was given. He didn’t really have a reason to be nervous. It was just a job, albeit a temporary one, maybe it was just because this was at a corporate company. It was a huge building, he had already gotten lost once just trying to find the HR department. And how he did these next few months with the temporary position decided if he could get a permanent position. Phil shook his head and scribbled his doodle out. No need to freak himself out on the first day. 

The door of the room opened and a woman walked in and sat down at the table. 

“Phil right?” she asked, holding her hand out. Phil nodded and shook her hand, trying to keep the confusion off of his face. 

“I’m Aubrey, I’m going to be your lead. Did the temp company tell you anything about the job?” she asked, spinning a little in her chair. Phil shook his head, “not really?” She laughed and nodded, 

“Doesn’t surprise me, that seems to be a common theme with them. It’s mostly clerical work, letter checking and writing, occasional phone calls. And we are business casual,” she said smiling. Phil took in her appearance for the first time, jeans and a casual top. He was obviously overdressed in his dress pants, white button up and tie but he knew it was better to dress up than dress down. 

“I’m happy to hear that, jeans and a t-shirt are definitely more my pace,” Aubrey laughed, “yea that has been everyone’s first reaction upon hearing that.” She told him a bit more about the job and then led him out of the room for a tour of their department.

“Our building only has a few departments in it; Sales, Underwriting, which is us, and IT downstairs. All the other departments are in the other building across the way. I won’t take you over there now though.” Phil nodded and tried to keep his bearings of where they were going. There were so many stairs and hallways he could already feel himself get a bit lost. When they arrived back upstairs from the maze of hallways, Aubrey chattering about what each room was and Phil nodding but knowing that he wouldn’t really remember, he was a bit overwhelmed. Aubrey led him inside a set double doors and he was immediately hit with a scent of popcorn. He inhaled deeply, his stomach rumbling.  
“It smells like popcorn,” he said a bit lamely. Aubrey laughed lightly, 

“Yea, we eat a lot of popcorn in Underwriting. Everyone here is a snacker.” Phil chuckled a little bit that, he loved popcorn so a whole department of people who loved popcorn too couldn’t be that bad right? Aubrey led him over to his cubicle and set him up on his computer. He was given his employee number and a list of passwords and by the time he left he was fully overwhelmed. He let out a huge sigh and pushed his hair into a quiff then quickly fixed it. He glanced around at his desk mates. To the right was a large set woman with glasses, who had decorated her cubicle with Lord of the Rings memorabilia. The woman in front of him smelled a bit like cigarettes but smiled kindly at him when he had sat down. She had short blonde hair and wrinkles in the corners of her eyes and Phil thought he could hear the sound of fake nails taping at her keyboard and was thankful that he would be able to bring headphones to work tomorrow.

The rest of the day passed in a bit of a blur. He had to do a lot of setting up and the end of the day was mostly devoted to reading up on the company handbook and taking an interactive online quiz which made Phil feel like his brain was melting a bit it was so boring. Aubrey laughed when she checked up on him and saw the look on his face, instantly saying how boring the classes were. Phil smiled, maybe he was making a friend? Or could be friends with his boss? Questions for another day he decided. He grabbed his things and made his way out of the building, aided by Aubrey who had good naturedly chuckled when Phil had confessed that he had no idea how to get back to his car. She showed him out of the building and pointed out where he could park tomorrow, closer to the Underwriting entrance. Phil thanked her profusely and hopped in his car and headed home. 

When Phil arrived back to his apartment he stripped out of his business clothes and pulled on his cookie monster pajamas and a t-shirt and flopped himself down on his couch. He browsed through Netflix and put Friends on for background noise, his head a bit too cloudy to actually concentrate on anything. He thought he might actually like the job, it would just take some adjusting. His last few jobs were nothing like this, but it was a job. And it was a way he could use his degree. All that time at University and he had never had a proper job. It wouldn’t be that bad. Plus he got to wear jeans and a t-shirt every day, and listen to music. ‘There are worse jobs,’ he thought - his mind flashing back to that terrible few months he had worked in a card shop and had a chocolate orange thrown at his head.

The door to his apartment opened and his cousin, and roommate Aaron slouched in and dropped himself on the couch next to Phil.

“How was school?” Phil asked, tossing the Playstation remote to him. 

“I hate it, why am I in college?” he whined. Phil laughed, remembering how he lamented to him when he was in university. 

“It’ll be worth it when you’re done,” Phil said, standing up to search for something to eat. Aaron grunted in reply.

“Is that why you just got your first big kid job, 3 years after you graduated. And it's a temp job?” Phil flipped him off, “you can make your own dinner then.” He could hear Aaron’s whine of reply but simply laughed. Aaron was his best friend and he knew that any teasing was good natured, even though he could be a bit of a dick sometimes, Aaron was a good person. He made them both a quick dinner of spaghetti, knowing it was Aaron’s least favorite, and went to bed early, wanting to be ready for his second day.

 

****************************************

The start of his second day was off to a good start. He woke up in time to get a coffee, he found the right door and didn’t even get lost on the way to his desk. His desk, which since he had left yesterday had a name tag added to it, “Phil Lester.” It was a simple addition but it made him smile. He set his coffee and phone down and logged into his computer. He was in the process of checking his emails, something he was instructed to do several times throughout the day according to Aubrey, when he saw someone approach his cubicle. It was one of the girls who had desks next to him, she was short and petite, her dark hair pulled back into a messy ponytail, and a big smile on her face. 

“Hey there! I’m Jackie, I’m one of your neighbors, I just wanted to introduce myself,” she gave a smile little wave and Phil waved back smiling. She started introducing the other people with connecting desks; the blonde cigarette lady was “Krystal with a K,” the Lord of the Rings fan was Maria, an older man who sat diagonally from Phil named Stephen grunted when Jackie introduced him but Jackie laughed and whispered to Phil that he was actually a big sweetheart, he just liked to pretend he was a big grump. Phil chuckled a bit and chatted with each of the women as they asked about him. Jackie seemed pleased with herself and bid him goodbye as Aubrey came to pull him away for his training. She sat him next to an older woman named Darlene, who had a short pixie cut and her entire cubicle covered in pictures of her grandchildren, Phil learned all the names of while he sat with her. 

They trained for a few days on checking letters that were sent to members when their insurance was approved. Trying to learn the different systems the company used and the lingo used made Phil’s brain feel a bit like it was going to explode, but he felt like he was catching on quickly. He was checking a letter on his third day when he came across a mistake in on a member’s address. He took it to Darlene, still unsure of the procedures and how to correct mistakes. She praised him for catching the mistake. 

“That’s a demo team error so you’ll have to take that to Dan, that’s his team.” Phil stared at her a bit blankly. He knew their department had different ‘teams’ but his brain still hadn’t caught up on the lingo and the division of the teams. She chuckled a bit when she saw the blank look her his face. 

“Sorry, us older people forget what it’s like to be new. It’s a demographical error, so the demo team who enters the address made the error and we just didn’t catch it. You can take it to Dan, who is the demo team’s lead and he will let you know how to get it fixed.” Phil nodded and headed off to where Darlene pointed to this Dan’s desk was. It was nearing the end of the work week and he had met most his co-workers. There were only about 35 people total in the department but he had been afraid to stray further than his cubicle in the corner, or on occasion Darlene’s desk. 

He found the cubicle that had the name tag “Dan Howell” on it and approached it wearily. He had learned in his few days that the leads, Aubrey and this “Dan”, were not supervisors, but he still felt a bit intimidated by them. Dan was facing away from the aisle, concentrating on whatever he was doing on his computer, fingers flying on his keyboard. Phil hesitated for a second, wondering if Dan would notice him. He took a second to take in his appearance; he seemed around Phil’s age, dark brown hair, straightened into a fringe similar to Phil’s, black skinny jeans and a black t-shirt. Phil could also see earnings poking out from behind his hair. 

“Uh,” Phil said nervously, not sure how to get his attention. Dan jumped a little but turned around. He smiled and Phil’s eyes went straight to the dimple that had sprung up in his cheek. His eyes darted back to Dan’s, big brown doe eyes, and Phil smiled back. Phil could see the front of his t-shirt now, what looked like a Kanye West concert t-shirt and it made Phil smile a little more. His appearance was a far cry from the older woman or stuffy business men that seemed to work here. Phil felt a bit of comradery with him.

“Hey, what’s up,” Phil blinked and then remembered why he had even came over to his desk. He held out the letter and explained the issue with the address he had found, letting him know that Darlene had told him to come to him since he was the lead.

“Yup, that’s right. I will have it fixed and sent back to you. It’s Phil right?” Phil nodded, surprised that Dan knew his name but happy. 

“Okay, we’ll get this fixed and have this put back in your basket. Good catch.” He smiled again, his dimple becoming a bit more prominent and Phil smiled back before heading back to his desk. He was still smiling when he sat down and started checking his next letter. The interaction stuck with him all day, making him randomly smile, until he made his way outside. He heard footsteps behind him and he turned to look who it was. Dan had just exited the building and was walking towards the parking lot. He caught sight of Phil and smiled widely at him. Phil returned the smile and soon they were walking together.

“How has your first few days been?” he asked putting on a pair of sunglasses. 

“Good,” Phil replied, trying to only glance in what he thought would be appropriate amounts. “It’s a bit overwhelming though, there is a lot to learn.” Dan laughed and nodded.

“Yea, but it gets better. You’ll be a pro in no time,” Dan gave him another smile before heading to the lower end of the parking lot to get to his car. Phil made it to his car but didn’t leave. He sat for a moment, and thought of brown eyes, straightened fringe and a dimple. 

‘Shit,” he thought. It was gonna be a long couple of months.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> warnings for biphobia

The next few weeks went by in a blur. Phil was busier than he ever imagined he would be, files on his desk from when he arrived to when he left at the end of the day. He had asked Jackie if it was always this busy, because surely there was some down time right? And she shook her head and smiled,

“No, this is just open enrollment so we get really busy. That’s why we hire temps, so we can get through the extra work.” Duh, Phil thought. He went back to his mountain of letters and put his headphones back in. He jumped when a few minutes later Aubrey tapped him on the shoulder. 

“Holy crap you scared me,” he said, clutching his chest and removing his ear buds. She rolled her eyes fondly.

“Dan and I are going to get coffee on our lunch break, do you wanna join?” Phil perked up a little, Dan was going? Phil hadn’t had many opportunities to interact with him since that first week since their jobs didn’t cross much, but Phil found himself finding reasons to walk by his desk if he thought he could get away with it. Dan often had his headphones in, hunched over his keyboard, fingers flying over his keyboard. Phil wondered how he was able to navigate through everything so quickly but figured he must have been here for a long time since he was a lead. He brought himself back to reality and told Aubrey he would love to join and grabbed his wallet from his backpack. 

Dan joined Phil and Aubrey as they headed outside to what Phil assumed was Aubrey’s car. Phil started to head towards the back when Dan chuckled and pushed him lightly towards the front seat. 

“You can sit up front, you don’t want to have to see the backseat,” Phil looked confusedly at him but got in the front. He understood once he took a glance at Dan’s tall frame squashed in between two car seats and sitting on what looked to be a small mound of goldfish crackers. He looked slightly miserable and fondness bloomed in Phil’s chest.

“Such a gentleman,” Phil said, unable to help the smile stretching over his face. Dan’s attempt at a scowl was ruined by the blush spreading over his face and the smile twitching at his lips, making his dimples pop in his cheeks. 

“Yea, well that was before I knew I would be sitting in a whole aquarium of goldfish. Don’t expect the same special treatment next time,” he said, but smiled. Phil grinned and faced towards Aubrey who was navigating out of the parking lot.

“I didn’t know you had kids,” Phil said. Aubrey nodded.

“Two. I’m married too, did you not know that either?” Phil shook his head. He had to admit he was a little bit oblivious sometimes. And if he was being honest, the news Aubrey was married gave him a sense of relief. He had noticed that whenever Dan wasn’t at his desk he had been at Aubrey’s, seemingly just chatting, and they seemed to take most of their breaks and lunches together. Phil had wondered if they had been an item, but dismissed the idea. Men and women could be friends he chided himself. 

When they got to the coffee shop Dan groaned when he stretched out his legs. 

“Buy you a coffee to make up for your suffering?” Phil offered. Dan smiled widely, crinkles appearing in the corners of his eyes.

“I will never turn down free coffee.” 

They made their way inside and ordered drinks and sandwiches, sitting at a table, Dan and Aubrey on one side facing Phil. They all chatted easily, Phil finding he had a lot in common with both of them. He and Aubrey started talking enthusiastically about Buffy, one of Phil’s absolute favorite things while Dan watched the conversation a bit bemusedly. When Phil questioned Dan on his thoughts on the show, Aubrey laughed,

“Dan’s never seen Buffy. I leant him the box set like two months ago and he’s never watched them.” Phil gaped at Dan, dumbfounded how anyone could have the show in their possession and not watch it the whole way through. Dan shrugged nonchalantly but a blush creeped up his cheeks when he met Phil’s eyes.

“I’m just busy!” He said, “I always mean too, I just always forget about it.” Aubrey snorted again.

“No, you’d just rather watch the Great British Bake-Off,” she said rolling her eyes. Phil whipped his head back to Dan.

“I love Bake-Off!” He said enthusiastically. Dan grinned and they talked about the last seasons and their predictions for the current season while Aubrey rolled her eyes at them and herded them out the door when their lunch hour was up. Phil was a bit sad to see the hour come to an end. He had a nice time hanging out with the two of them, and he would be lying if he said he didn’t especially like talking with Dan. Every time he would let out a laugh, or he would smile and his dimples would make an appearance, Phil could feel butterflies fill his stomach. 

When he returned home that night Aaron was already home, taking up the whole sofa so Phil flopped himself down into their worn out recliner.

“How was work?” Aaron grunted. 

“Fine,” Phil said, staring at the episode of Friends on the tv. 

“You reek like a coffee house,” Aaron complained. He hated the smell of coffee, which meant Phil wasn’t allowed to make coffee at home, which annoyed him more than it probably should.

“Oh yea, I went to lunch with some friends from work.” Aaron’s head perked up a little.

“You finally made some friends?” Phil glared at him and threw an empty water bottle Aaron had left in their living room at him. Aaron laughed and ducked down.

“C’mon, tell me about your friends?” Any hot girls work there?” Phil squirmed a little uncomfortably. 

“Um, it’s mostly older women, and there’s an older guy. There’s a girl my age, her names Aubrey she’s one of my friends, but she’s married. And there’s a guy my age named Dan. He’s my other friend,” Aaron nodded, turning his attention back to the tv. Phil hesitated, “he’s pretty cute though. I’m not sure if he’s straight or not though.” 

Phil could see Aaron stiffen and cursed himself for saying anything. 

“Wouldn’t it be better use of your time to try and find an attractive girl to date,” Aaron asked. His voice was tight, like he was holding himself back and Phil felt his stomach tighten with nausea. He had hoped they could work past this. Aaron had been the first person Phil had came out as bisexual to a year ago and the conversation had gone very similarly. Aaron had told him that he thought that maybe Phil was confused, questioned if he had ever slept with another man, and when Phil said it wasn’t any of Aaron’s business, Aaron said if he hadn’t he couldn’t really know. He told Phil it was probably just a phase and he would grow out of it. Phil was sad to see that much hasn’t changed.

Phil didn’t bother responding, just stomped to his bedroom, slamming the door behind him. He was irritated but he didn’t know if he was irritated with himself or Aaron more. He knew Aaron was how he was, and he knew it wasn’t right but he had brought it up. Maybe he should have just kept his mouth shut? He rubbed his eyes roughly and threw himself on his bed, pulling his laptop to him.

He scrolled through tumblr for a while, finally tabbing over to Facebook. He was scrolling mindlessly when his fingers twitched towards the search bar. He hesitated for a second and then thought ‘fuck it’ and typed ‘Dan Howell’ into the search bar. His profile popped up and Phil clicked on it, thanking heavens it wasn’t private. He clicked on his profile pictures and the first one was of Dan, smiling widely with his arm around an attractive brunette girl. Phil’s stomach squirmed, but he clicked through, thinking maybe it was just another friend like Aubrey? 

The girl was featured in quite a few photos but the one that made Phil’s stomach clench uncomfortably and lose the little bit of hope that had been tethered in him was of Dan and the pretty brunette pictured in front of a Christmas tree wearing matching Christmas jumpers, holding hands and doing a silly pose. Phil closed his laptop and turned on his back and stared at the ceiling. He felt a bit disappointed but berated himself. It didn’t matter that Dan was straight, and apparently had a girlfriend. Even if either of those things hadn’t been true, he was off limits, they worked together and he had some sort of authority over Phil’s job. Phil nodded to himself and closed his eyes, trying to ignore how disappointed he still felt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @tobieallison on tumblr


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have purposely kept the location and timeline vague since I'm trying to create a mix between what I know of their lives and my life. 
> 
> But the healthcare system *is* based off of the current American healthcare system (barf) since I live in America and I work at an insurance company and I have the most knowledge about it.

Phil found that after a few days of sulking a bit, it was easy to put his crush aside. Yes, he did occasionally still walk by Dan’s desk when he didn’t need to. And yes, he did still make an extra dumb joke when they would talk just to see Dan’s dimples, or the way his brown eyes would light up when he laughed. Sue him. He did genuinely feel like he had made friends though, in Dan and Aubrey. He spent most of his extra time at work getting to know them both, and the rest of his neighbors. He found that he really enjoyed his job, however stressful and at times mundane it could be.

It was a few weeks before his contract was set to expire when Aubrey sent him an email telling him that their department was hiring someone full time for the position Phil was in. Phil immediately applied, attaching his email with shaking hands. When he had applied for the temp job two months ago he wasn’t expecting to want to stay here so badly. But he liked the work, he liked his co-workers, and it was a job he knew his parents were proud to tell their friends he had. Something more notable than ‘bum who has two college degrees but lives on couch.’ He replied to Aubrey’s email letting her know that he applied and she sent back a string of smiley faces, letting him know she would put in a good word for him.

A week later he was back in the HR department, tugging on his tie nervously again, waiting for the Underwriting supervisors to arrive for his interview. He felt an odd mix of confidence and nerves. He knew the supervisors, two women in their mid 40’s, who spent most of their time in the department walking around gossiping rather than doing any real work. They were really nice and as far as Phil knew they both liked him. Plus he knew quite a bit about the job and was very good at the tasks he had learned. But it was still an interview and Phil had a knack for being awkward, especially in situations where he was not 100% comfortable.

When they finally arrived and the interview got going most of the time was spent chatting about the women’s families and their children. Phil answered all of their questions about the job and why he thought he was the best for the position. They nodded and gave him big smiles and he left the room feeling confident about the interview. He went back to his desk and was instantly swarmed. Aubrey, Jackie, and Stephen all stood around his desk asking for details of his interview. Krystal and Maria even poked their heads up to hear about it. Phil told them how he thought it went well and how a lot of it was just chatting. They all laughed because everyone knew their fondness for talking and gossip. They talked for little while longer and everyone started clearing out so they could get back to their work. Phil was pulling his pile of letters towards him when he saw Dan walk up to his desk. He was surprised, since Dan didn’t often venture over to his corner of the office.

“How did your interview go?” he asked softly. Phil told him it went well and Dan smiled. 

“I hope you get it. I’ll be sad if you have to leave.” He smiled again and turned to go back to his desk, leaving Phil to sit there feeling a little dumbfounded. He shook his head and tried not to read too much into it. It was just a friendly thing to say right? They were friends. Cause Dan was straight and had a girlfriend. Phil put his ear buds in and tried to focus on his work instead of thinking of his lingering crush on someone he couldn't have.

**************************

Phil got the call offering him the position two weeks after his interview, exactly one week before his temp contract was up. The news came just in time as he had been in a mad panic, starting to frantically search for another position; since Aaron wasn’t working and his student loans only helped cover part of the bills for the apartment. He was so relieved when he got the call he almost felt like throwing up, instead he texted Aubrey and told her he had gotten the job and her reply was almost entirely exclamation points, saying she was so happy he got to stay. 

He left his room to find Aaron to tell him the good news. Aaron whooped and threw his fist in the air, exclaiming that they needed to go out to celebrate. Phil agreed, since it was a Friday and went back into his room to change into a better going out shirt. He pulled on a black and red plaid button up shirt and fixed his fringe. He usually wasn’t one for going out but it was a special occasion. He went back into the living room and waited for Aaron, scrolling through his phone. When they were both ready they called a cab and gave them directions to a local pub that usually didn’t get too rowdy. 

They entered the pub and ordered drinks, Aaron ordering a beer and Phil ordered a vodka cranberry, purposely ignoring the raised eyebrows Aaron gave him. They took seats near the pool table so they could play when the table was free and Phil sipped his drink, taking note of the people around him. The table next to them was a group of people having a discussion about what seemed to be politics. They were a random assortment of people, some dressed in business attire as if they just got off work, others in leather jackets and hipster style clothing. One person in particular was talking very passionately, a tall Asian girl who’s black hair was cut in a shaggy bob and had thick rimmed ray ban style glasses. She was using her hands to wildly gesticulate her point and when the music died down Phil could hear snippets of their conversation. They were talking about the healthcare system, particularly about insurance, and though she was passionate about her point, she wasn’t factual about it and Phil couldn’t help but interrupt.

“That’s actually not how it works,” he said hesitantly. She stopped what she was saying and stared at him for a second. She quirked her head and then smiled, 

“Okay, how does it work Mr. Insurance,” she said. Phil smiled and then explained how the current system worked, how one need a special enrollment to apply outside of open enrollment, how their were certain deadlines and timelines one had to follow. 

“I work in insurance, this is basically my whole life,” he said laughing. She smiled and she asked him a few more questions, moving to the other side of her friend’s table so they didn’t have to shout over the music any longer. Aaron had gotten up to speak to a friend from school so Phil chatted with the girl who introduced herself as Faith. They talked about video games, Phil telling her about his recent obsession with Fallout 4. He confessed that one of his favorite parts of it was the dog and she exclaimed that she had a dog, pulling out her phone and showing him a picture of the dog she had rescued a few years ago named ‘Blue.’ Phil gushed about how cute he was and she smiled brightly. They spent the next 2 hours talking and lightly flirting, and when Aaron dragged him out of the bar it was with a new contact in his phone and a smile on his face. 

*********************

They texted off and on for the next few days and when the weekend came and Phil invited her to coffee, it was accepted happily. The two sat at Starbucks and sipped their coffees, talking for a few hours. Phil was surprised to find that he knew Faith’s sister, who was dating one of his ex’s. When he told her this, the fact that he had dated a man didn’t seem to phase her at all, and Phil felt relief rush through his system. He asked where she worked, and she confessed that she was currently looking for a job. She looked a bit embarrassed, but Phil shrugged and told her he didn’t think it was that big of a deal. She looked relieved and they moved the subject back to video games and other things they had in common.

Monday, Phil’s first official day as a full time employee, was met with a coffee on his desk. A small sticky note was on top that read ‘have a nice day :)’ in Dan’s messy scrawl. Phil could feel himself blush and logged into his computer so he could instant message Dan and thank him. He messaged back and said it was no problem, he just wanted to let him know he was thinking of him on his first real day. Phil rubbed his face with his hands and debated what to reply with. He settled with just a ‘well I really appreciate it :)’ and exited out of the chat. He would be lying if he said he didn’t have a bit of a lingering crush on Dan, and times like this did nothing to help it.   
He went through his day and when he was on his break, scrolling through tumblr mindlessly he saw someone take the empty seat beside him. He was surprised to see Dan, who normally prefered to take his breaks with Aubrey but was happy to see him anyway. Dan was scrolling through his phone too and had yet say anything but let out a small shout, making Phil jump. 

“Gotcha, bitch!” Phil gaped at Dan, completely confused at what was happening when Dan looked up and laughed at the expression on his face. 

“I caught a Charmander!” he said excitedly, showing Phil his phone where he had the Pokemon Go app pulled up. Phil laughed heartily, and Dan must have interpreted it as laughing at *him* because he pulled his phone away and started scowling. 

“I’m just laughing because I didn’t know you liked Pokemon too. How have I known you this long and not known that you played Pokemon Go? We could have been nerding out together this whole time.” Dan’s scowled was instantly replaced but a huge smile, those dimples Phil loved making an appearance. Phil pulled up his Pokedex and they started comparing, Phil pointed out how his was obviously superior because his starter had been a Bulbasaur. Dan rolled his eyes but grinned and told him he was a dork. Phil was sorely disappointed when his timer went off and he had to return to his desk. Dan gave him a small wave a what seemed to be a disappointed smile. Phil made his way back to his desk and tried not to focus on the look that had been on his face. It did nothing to help his confused feelings. 

He felt his phone buzz in his pocket and he say a text from Faith. He smiled and replied, happy to hear from her. They were getting along well and he really thought they could be going somewhere but it wouldn’t help either of them if Phil couldn’t put his feelings for Dan aside. He put his headphones in and logged into his computer to finish up his work for the day. He was ready to focus on things between him and Faith, no point in pining after someone he couldn’t have right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't kidding when I said slow burn but I promise more Dan/Phil interactions are coming soon! And since this story is based off of my wife and I's relationship it does have a happy ending :)
> 
> @tobieallison on tumblr


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> warnings for drug mentions and cheating (I guess? it's a bit of a grey area but I wanted to have it put as a warning just in case.)

Phil thought that once Open Enrollment had ended things would slow down and he would get a chance to catch his breath at work. He was wrong. A major insurance company in the area had filed for bankruptcy, leaving all of their clients without insurance. This meant their company now had hundreds of people applying a day. To compensate, the company hired 10 new people to help with the work since the temps had been let go after Open Enrollment had ended. 

Phil had been enjoying the peace and quiet but quickly made friends with his new neighbors, a blonde girl a year or two younger than him named Shantell, a woman in her early 40’s named Steph, who became the mom of their little group. A man named Chad who had the same dorky, dry sense of humor Phil did, took Jackie’s desk since she had became pregnant and decided to quit to focus on her baby and planning her upcoming wedding. Phil had sulked for a whole day when she told him, but had given her a big hug the day she left and demanded updates on the baby.  
The new group of friends at work made the new workload feel much more manageable. When work would get overwhelming he could take a few minutes to chat, or take a break. Phil became especially close with Shantell since Phil had been in charge of her training. They would take breaks together, taking walks around the building; Phil complaining the whole time about being forced to exercise. It was especially nice to have someone to talk to about what Aaron deemed ‘girl stuff.’ Things like how his relationship with Faith was going and his lingering crush on Dan. 

Shantell was quick to let Phil know she didn’t like Faith and how she thought that Phil could do better, regardless of Dan or not. Phil had bristled at first, feeling defensive of Faith and their relationship but knew deep down Shantell was probably right. The first few months of dating had been great, they were compatible and had fun together but things had started to dissolve between them. Faith spent most of her time in her parent’s basement playing video games and smoking weed. She often complained about not having a job but did nothing to remedy it. When Phil would offer suggestions she would get upset and then refuse to talk to him for days. It felt a bit exhausting, always unsure of her moods and if they were talking that day or not. 

Phil always did his best to try and reach out, make attempts but they were often met with resistance. Shantell told him almost daily that it wasn’t fair to him to be in such a toxic relationship. The last time they had spoke Faith told Phil that she needed some space, even though it had been weeks since they last hung out and only rarely talked. Phil couldn’t argue though, it was hard being in a relationship when it felt as if you were the only one putting in any effort.

They were walking back inside from one of their walks when Phil opened the door and walked right into Dan, almost knocking him down. Phil grabbed onto him to keep him upright and Dan smiled brightly at him. 

“You guys getting back from your daily jog?” Dan joked still in Phil’s clutches. Phil chuckled and let go of Dan, taking a step back. 

“I can barely get Phil to walk, you think I could get him to jog?” Shantell laughed, eying the space between them less than subtly. Phil shot her a fake glare and looked back to Dan who was smiling at him. Phil blushed a little and pointed towards the door, 

“We better get back inside. We don’t want to be late.” Dan nodded and stepped out of the way, still smiling. Phil and Shantell walked inside and once the door was securely shut behind them, Shantell let out a cackle.

“The tension between you too is ridiculous. When are you just gonna sleep together already?” Phil cheeks burned bright red and he covered his eyes with his hands. 

“I can’t believe you just said that,” Phil said. His cheeks were still a bright pink as they sat down at their desks, causing Steph and Chad to ask what had happened. Shantell launching into a blow by blow since Phil’s crush on Dan had been revealed almost instantly when they had been hired. Phil’s lack of a poker face had shown this when Dan had unexpectedly popped over to his desk one day to give an update about his pokedex. They had yet to let him live it down.

“You guys are all bullies,” Phil said, logging into his computer. They all chuckled and told him it was cause they loved him and he rolled his eyes but he knew it was true. 

A few minutes later his phone buzzed with a text. It was from Aubrey letting him know she was having a small party that weekend and she fully expected him to show up. Though he usually wasn’t one for social interactions he knew that Aubrey would probably murder him if he didn’t come. Phil promised to be there. 

The day after Aubrey’s party invitation Phil was in the mailroom printing documents when Dan walked in. Phil looked up and smiled but didn’t say anything since Dan still had his headphones in. He jumped a second later when Dan bumped hips with him to get his attention. 

“You’re going to Aubrey’s on Friday right?” Dan asked. He had taken his headphones out and was standing so close to Phil that he could make out the small smattering of freckles across his cheekbones. Phil nodded,

“Yea, she’d kill me if I didn’t,” he said, making Dan laugh. It made his stomach clench, sending warmth to the core of his being. He focused back on his work spewing out of the printer, not trusting himself not to keep from shamelessly flirting with the gorgeous boy next to him. 

“Good,” Dan said, eyes still on Phil, “I won’t know anyone else and I don’t wanna be alone all night.” Phil raised his eyebrows a little at him, surely he would be inviting his girlfriend right? He almost asked but someone else walked in and Dan took a subtle step away, almost as if he sensed he had been just a touch too close. He gave a small smile and wave and left the room while Phil gathered his papers and returned to his desk. 

*****************************

Friday night Phil had pre party jitters. Well, more like ‘socializing with people he didn’t know’ jitters. He was always a little uncomfortable in groups, a little awkward. He hoped it wasn’t a big party, his introvertive nature making him feel a bit out of his element before he even arrived. Luckily there were only about 15 milling about when he got there. Dan pulled Phil up to the drink station, where he had apparently taken residency, to make him a drink as soon as he stepped inside. Dan poured various liquors into a red cup and handed it to Phil, taking a sip from his own cup. His cheeks were a lovely shade of pink and he seemed a bit looser than normal. 

Phil suspected he was already a bit tipsy, and his suspicions were confirmed when Dan’s next sip was drippled a bit down his chin. Phil leaned over and swiped the excess liquid off of his chin before he could think about it. Dan met his eyes and Phil dropped his hand and looked away, greeting Aubrey when she came over to say hi. Dan was still staring at him when Phil dared to look at him next but looked towards Aubrey when she asked him a question. Dan’s phone rang half way through their conversation, the screen lighting up and making the counter vibrate. Phil glanced down and saw the pretty girl from Dan’s profile picture was calling, the name “Delilah” on the caller ID. Dan apologized and stepped away to take the call. 

“Dan’s girlfriend?” Phil joked, a surprising amount of jealousy in his tone. Aubrey snorted, 

“No,” she replied, “that’s his sister.” Sister. The word rattled around Phil’s brain. He had spent months now thinking that Dan had a girlfriend when it was his sister. He felt incredibly stupid. He tossed back his drink and started pouring another one as Dan walked back in. 

 

“What was that about,” Aubrey asked because she had no filter and would ask whatever she wanted and at this moment Phil was thankful for it.

“We had to move Dad’s birthday dinner around. I don’t know why they couldn’t have just texted me that though,” he said rolling his eyes. Phil smiled a little but worked on drinking the rest of his drink. He reasoned with himself that although this girl in question was not Dan’s girlfriend that did not mean that Dan was single, nor was he interested in men, let alone Phil. He tried not to dwell on that though, and focused on just having a good time with his friends. 

They all moved to the living room when a group of them started playing Harry Potter Scene It. Dan and Phil had teamed up and ended up winning the game, making sure to catcall Aubrey and her husband who were both self proclaimed Harry Potter nerds. They played on through the night, both of them getting progressively tipsier as the night went on. They sat pressed up against each other on the sofa, leaning into each other more and more with each drink. Dan smelled good, and had pretty eyes, and a good laugh and Phil found himself staring more often than not. 

Once the party had cleared out and everyone had left except Dan and him, Aubrey put on a movie and sat on the couch with them while her husband headed to bed. He had scolded them when they had tried to leave, telling them it would be silly to pay for a cab ride home when they had two perfectly good couches here. They had both given in, and accepted the blankets and pillows but had yet to separate to their own couches.

Aubrey finished the movie and headed to bed too, putting in another for them and handing them the remotes. Once she left the room they both seemed to have became aware of how pressed together they were sitting. Phil was sitting in the corner of the couch with his knees tucked underneath him and Dan was so close it could only be considered cuddling. His hand had found Phil’s knee at one point during the movie and had started rubbing small absent minded circles with his thumb. 

Phil felt like an electric current was running through his entire body. Everytime Dan’s thumb moved across his knee, another ‘zing’ would run up his spine. He took a deep breath and that seemed to catch Dan’s attention. He looked at him with heavily lidded eyes, a reminder that they were both a little tipsy and their guards were both down more than they would be normally. 

“I have a bit of a crush on you,” Phil’s drunk brain said before he could stop himself. As soon as the words left his lips he wanted to scoop them back up and shove them back into his mouth. But Dan was smiling, dimples on full display.

“I have a crush on you too,” he said, his cheeks a lovely shade of pink again. Phil couldn’t help the smile that broke across his face. He ducked his head, a blush making its way onto his cheeks now, and started playing with Dan’s fingers. Dan laced his finger’s with Phil’s and tugged a little to get his attention.

“But I am kind of your boss, not really but kind of. I don’t want things to be weird between us. And are you and your girlfriend still together?” Phil felt a twinge of guilt at the mention of Faith but the last few months replayed in his head. The distance, the lack of effort, her need for space and Phil being more than happy to give it to her. He knew it wasn’t an ideal situation and it wasn’t right but something in his gut told him that he might not have another chance like this, and he wanted to take it. 

“It wouldn't have to be weird. And I guess I have a girlfriend, but things haven’t been good between us for a long time and I’m not honestly sure if we’re together or not. But I’ve liked you for so long and I didn’t know if you liked me back, or if you were straight or what, so I didn’t try and now I wish that I had cause -” Phil’s sentence was cut off by Dan’s lips on his. It took him a second to reciprocate because he was so shocked, but when he did he tried to make up for it with enthusiasm. 

Dan’s lips were a bit chapped but Phil didn’t care, he was kissing the person he had been thinking about kissing for months now. Dan moved closer, pressing Phil corner of the couch and moved his hands into Phil’s hair lightly tugging. Phil felt Dan’s pull away for a second, looking him in the eyes, 

“Is this okay?” he breathed, still close, so close Phil could count his eyelashes if he so chose to. 

“Yes,” Phil replied, leaning back in for another kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was a very hard, personal chapter for me. my relationship with "Faith" is very glossed over here because it was a very toxic relationship towards the end and I didn't feel comfortable sharing so much of it. I originally planned on having more of it in the story but when I sat down to write it, I just couldn't so I had to improvise. 
> 
> come say hi on tumblr, I need more friends :)


	5. Chapter 5

Phil woke up the next morning and felt like he had been hit by a truck. His head was throbbing and his mouth tasted terrible. But as the last dredges of sleep started to leave him he realized he wasn’t at home. He was still on Aubrey’s couch but he wasn’t alone. Dan was snuggled up to him and was still lightly snoring. His head was on Phil’s chest and his arms were wrapped tightly around his waist. The previous night came back to Phil in a rush. Their tipsy confessions, kissing until they were both breathless and hard but both agreeing that it was best to not go any further. At that point Dan had cuddled up against Phil and they had both fallen asleep. 

Phil desperately wanted to stay wrapped up on the couch with Dan but he could feel a pressing insistence in his blatter, which was probably what woke him up. He tried to scootch out from under Dan without waking him, but the minute he started to move, he woke up with a start and looked around dazedly. Phil almost wanted to roll his eyes, because _of course_ Dan looked adorable waking up. His hair was a wild bird’s nest, and his eyes were still squinty with sleep but Phil had an incredible urge to kiss him again.

“Good morning,” Dan grumbled, rubbing his eyes and sitting up and off of Phil.

“How are you feeling?” Phil asked, a headache throbbing at his temples with every word he spoke. 

“Like death,” he said dramatically, throwing himself back down onto Phil’s chest. Phil giggled a little and reached up to rub his back consolingly. Dan lifted his head, giving him a small smile. Phil started to lean in for kiss when he heard Aubrey’s footsteps come around the corner. She didn’t say anything about their conjoined position on the couch but did raise her eyebrows questioningly at them.

“Get up love birds. I need coffee and I need to take you home before the kids get back.” The promise of coffee, and also the threat of small screaming children, lit a fire under them both and they disentangled themselves and got up. 

The car ride home felt a bit awkward, but Phil was unsure if it was between himself and Dan or between them and Aubrey. He tried not to think about it too much, his head and stomach a bit too questionable to put a lot of thought into it. When they dropped him off at his apartment he went straight inside and to his room. He desperately wanted to tuck himself into bed and sleep off his hangover but he knew he had some loose ends to tie before he could. 

He called Faith’s number but she didn’t answer. The automated voicemail informing him the mailbox was not set up, and to try his call again later annoyed him more than it probably would normally. He sent a text asking her to call him as soon as she got his message. He started to throw his phone down, figuring he wouldn’t get a reply for hours, possibly even days, when he saw her reply.

‘whats up?’ it read. Phil was full on annoyed now, why couldn’t she just answer her phone? He replied back asking if she could come over, or if he could, because he needed to talk to talk to her. She answered that she didn’t really feel like hanging out right now and they could just text. Phil sat down on his bed and resisted pulling his hair out. 

‘This isn’t really a conversation I want to have over text’ he said, stripping down into his boxers and climbing into bed since it looked like he wasn’t going anywhere. 

‘I think we both know what this conversation is. Just do it so it can be over with.’ Phil wasn’t surprised that she was saying this. Their relationship hadn’t been in a good place for a long time and he hadn’t even been 100% sure they were still together. 

‘Okay then. I think it would be best if we didn’t see each other anymore. I don’t think either of us are happy, at least i’m not. I’m sorry if that sounds like I’m being a dick. I’m not trying to, which is why I didn’t want to have this conversation over text. And you should know that I kissed someone last night. I’m not trying to tell you to hurt you or anything, I just want to be honest.’ He sent the message, before he could type more and put his foot in his mouth more. 

‘I figured this was coming. You’re right, I haven’t been happy either. It’s all fine though.’ Phil wasn’t sure what to say back. He wasn’t sure if she was being passive aggressive or genuine and he felt too exhausted to try and decipher it. Instead of replying he turned his phone on silent and closed his eyes to take a nap.

 

********************************************

He woke up four hours later, his head feeling a million times better and his stomach growling. He checked his phone to see the time and was surprised to see a text from Dan.

‘how are you feeling? I kind of want to die’ the message was from 3 hours ago, and another had popped up as he was reading the first.

‘naps are the best thing on the planet. I feel like a whole new person (kinda, still wanna die a little)’ Phil laughed softly and hit reply:

‘Naps are the best. But also food? I’m starving.’

‘omg same. I could really use something gross and greasy.’ Phil pondered for a second and took a chance.

‘I was gonna pick something up. Want me to grab you something too?’ he felt a thrill of nervous but Dan’s response was instantaneous.

‘god yes. you are an actual angel.’ Phil blushed, feeling dumb a throw away text was making him twitterpated. He got Dan’s food and coffee order and pulled on a pair of sweats and hoodie. 

He was in the drive-thru getting their coffees when Dan sent him another text:

‘ps my house is really dirty cause im lazy and never home so you can’t judge me k?’ Phil laughed and replied that he would not judge him, no matter the state of his house and made his way to the address that he was texted.

Dan’s house was small and quaint, tucked in between two bigger houses on a busy street. He pulled into the driveway and rang the doorbell. He felt nervous. He had been with plenty of people to know that sometimes the day after a casual hookup things were really weird, and he didn’t want that to happen. He liked Dan but he also liked being his friend and he hoped that the night before wouldn’t ruin that.

Dan opened the door and peeked his head out. He was also in sweats but he was wearing a black t-shirt with some sort of obscure writing on it, and had a blanket pulled over his head. Phil let out a bark of laughter upon seeing him which made Dan blush a little and tell him to shut up and get inside and feed him. Phil walked inside and stood awkwardly in the lounge, waiting for Dan to direct him where to sit. He had two couches and a old, worn out chair that was covered in an assortment of laundry. As Dan walked past him he grabbed onto Phil’s arm gently and led him to the couch that Dan snuggled back on to. 

Phil passed him his food and coffee and they debated on what to watch on Netflix. They ended up settling on old episodes of Bake-off, which Phil was thankful for. He didn’t have to pay attention to that, his brain felt at full capacity at the time. They ate and drank their coffees and Phil was happy that the silence between them seemed relaxed and companionable. When they were finished eating Dan laid down a little on the couch and laid his feet on Phil’s lap.

“Is this okay,” he asked quietly. Phil nodded and started lightly rubbing his legs. It felt nice to be close to Dan, nice to able to touch him. They watched the show and lounged, not paying any attention to the time, until Dan yawned widely. 

“Didn't you take a nap?” Phil teased lightly, poking his arm. Dan scowled a bit and nodded. 

“I’m still tired though. I wanna sleep again,” he whined. Phil checked his phone and was surprised to see it was almost 9 at night. They had laid around for almost 4 hours together. Dan got up and pulled Phil with him, leading him to what Phil assumed was his bedroom. Phil felt a little thrill of nerves run up his spine, but he followed him into the room and watched as Dan crawled into the bed. 

“Wanna cuddle?” Dan asked, pulling back the edge of the covers. Phil smiled widely and got into bed. They were both still dressed in their sweats and had t-shirts but it still felt like Phil’s skin was on fire as Dan pulled him close to him and wrapped his arms around Phil’s waist like he had the night before. He mirrored Dan’s position and put his arm around Dan hip. Neither said anything, just grinned at each other before Phil leaned in.

It started off sweet and slow, just a tentative press of their lips together but soon Dan was pulling him closer and licking into his mouth. Phil groaned at the feeling and kissed back enthusiastically, happy to know that in the light of sobriety the same pulse of chemistry was still there. They kissed and kissed until he could feel Dan’s erection pressed into leg, and he was sure Dan could feel his. He desperately wanted to do something about the ache between his legs but he hesitated. He really liked Dan, probably more than he had realized previously, and moving too fast could ruin that. As much as he wanted to reach down and touch him, ease both of their ache, he didn’t want this to just be a one time hook up.

Phil pulled back and let out a puff of air he’d been holding. He could just barely make out Dan’s silhouette from the streetlights coming through the window and looked about as wrecked as Phil felt. He chuckled a bit and brushed his fingers across Dan’s cheekbone. Dan signed and leaned into the touch.

“Is it okay if we slow down?” Phil asked quietly. Dan opened his eyes and gave Phil an exasperated, but somehow still fond look and replied:

“Of course. We don’t have to do anything.” Phil smiled and pulled him back into his arms to cuddle, making sure not to press himself too much against Dan since his resolve was only so great. They both sighed and broke out into giggles. Phil kissed Dan’s head and closed his eyes, falling asleep faster than he would have thought possible.

***************************************

Despite how wonderful Saturday had been, and even better a Sunday full of takeout and anime at Dan’s house had been, Phil still almost expected Monday to be awkward. They hadn’t had a conversation about what things meant, or what would happen now but they still spent most of the day spent cuddled up on the couch, making out leisurely. Phil made his way to his desk and found a coffee and a muffin on his desk. He smiled widely and set his things down so he could instant message his thanks to Dan who had left him another messily scrawled note telling him to have a nice day. 

Shantell peeked her head over her computer when he sat down and gave him a stern look.

“You look suspiciously happy.” Phil laughed, but studiously avoided her eyes. 

“It’s just a nice day out,” he said, not wanting to give too much away with his face. Steph turned around in her desk to say good morning to him and gasped loudly. Phil turned to her, and was surprised to see she was pointing at him. She walked over to his desk and pressed her finger against his neck, Phil suddenly remembering the dark hickey Dan had left yesterday. His entire face flushed maroon and he slapped his hand to cover the mark.

“I uh - burnt myself,” he said lamely. Shantell, Steph, and Chad who had poked his head over too, all laughed hysterically at this and started teasing him about his “wild weekend.” Phil clamped his mouth shut and refused to tell them anything. They all returned to their work after a few minutes and Phil messaged Dan and told him that he was in trouble.

‘and why is that lol’ Dan replied.

‘I have a huge hickey on my neck that everyone can see -_-’

‘I’m not that sorry ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯’ Phil rolled his eyes but still felt a thrill of happiness. 

The day passed as normal, the only difference was Dan would message Phil a bit more. He would tell him when he was bored, about the project he was working on, or how annoying his desk mates were. Phil was thrilled at this increased communication. The conversation passed easily between them and he found the day passed by much quicker when they were talking.

Phil left the office and returned home that day to find Aaron sulking on the couch.

“Where were you all weekend?” he demanded before Phil even had a chance to set his things down. Phil frowned at him and thought about how much he really didn’t want to have this argument after riding such a high from the weekend.

“I didn’t realize I had to let you know everything I was doing. I’m an adult you know,” Phil said coldly, making his way to his bedroom.

“You don’t but the least you could do is tell me you aren’t gonna be home,” Aaron yelled after him. Phil rolled his eyes but didn’t respond. This was an argument they had had time and time again. Aaron felt that he had a right to know where Phil was going at all times just because they lived together even though that was far from the truth. Phil shut his door and sat down on his bed and pulled his laptop onto his lap to browse for a while. His phone notified him of a text after a while, Dan telling him about the newest cooking show he had gotten sucked into. They texted for a few hours, the time passing far quicker than Phil realized and soon they were saying goodnight.

*************************************

The next few weeks passed by in a blur. The days and nights were spent texting and messaging each other, the weekends spent holed up at Dan’s house together. Nothing had progressed further than kissing and a little grinding, Phil still feeling a bit hesitant to take things further. Dan was understanding and sweet though, despite what was surely a nearly constant case of blue balls. Phil found that he had a certain fondness for hickies though. He often had to wear button up shirts to hide the majority of them, which did not deter his neighbors at work from asking about his new suitor. Phil had told them about ending things with Faith and they had all been thrilled, especially Shantell, but they all pretended to be irritated that he wouldn’t spill the beans about the new person he was seeing. 

Well, boyfriend, Phil figured. During a night out with his friends from University, Dan had gotten a little drunk and spent the whole night texting Phil about how much he missed him and how he wanted to see him. It had made Phil feel butterflies to know that even when they spent time away from each other Dan was still thinking of him. Dan had asked him to be his boyfriend that night and Phil had told him that it would make him happy but if he was serious about it, he had to ask again when he was sober or it didn’t count. 

The next day around 1 in the afternoon Dan had texted him and asked him to come over and bring food and coffee. Phil had happily obliged and brought an assortment of food and beverages so they could spend the rest of the day without leaving Dan’s. When he arrived Dan let him in and pulled him in for a long kiss that left Phil a little breathless. When he pulled away Dan pressed his forehead to Phil’s and asked quietly,

“I’m sober now and the question still stands. Will you be my boyfriend?” Phil had nodded and kissed him eagerly, words not expressing quite how happy he was in that moment.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I've been so MIA lately! I have been so incredibly busy and I haven't had any spare time to think, let alone write!
> 
> this is just a quick chapter and the last chapter I plan on posting Sunday.
> 
> thank you guys for sticking with me this far!

A few weeks had gone by and they were laying in Dan’s bed together doing what had become their new routine: taking turns between making out and browsing on their phones, showing each other memes. After a while Dan turned over and pulled Phil closer to him, wrapping his arms and legs around him tightly. Phil set his phone down and turned over as well as he could when he noticed that Dan was staring at him.

“What’s up,” Phil said with a chuckle; Dan looked a bit nervous.

“Well, I need to ask you something,” he replied.

“Don’t worry, I will be your boyfriend.” Dan rolled his eyes and gave him a quick tickle on his ribs, which made Phil squirm.

“Wow, thanks. I’m so relieved.” Phil giggled and pressed a kiss to Dan’s forehead.

“Okay. What did you really want to ask me.”

“It’s my dad’s birthday party on Friday night and they’ve all been asking me to meet you.” Phil was surprised that Dan had told his family enough about him that they wanted to meet him, but he was excited. 

“I would love that,” he said, pulling Dan into a hug. He could feel Dan smiling against his chest and leaned back so he could tip his chin up for another kiss.

**************************

By Friday afternoon Phil was definitely on the more nervous side of excited. He had never met someone’s family who he had dated, and he had not anticipated meeting Dan’s family so quickly. Granted he was excited, because although they hadn’t been together long Phil was extremely enamored. He had a feeling that Dan felt the same too. 

He messaged Dan at work and told him how nervous he was. Dan messaged back and told him he had nothing to worry about because he was wonderful and everyone would love him. Phil rolled his eyes but still smiled and tried to rub the blush off of his cheeks. He supposed there wasn’t much he could do except be on his best behavior and hope for the best.

When he got off work Phil went straight home to change into a button up that he had even taken the time to iron so it wasn’t wrinkly, like literally every item of clothing he owned. He slipped it over his shoulders and was buttoning it up when he heard a knock on his door. He turned around to see Aaron standing in his doorway, glaring. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his hostile approach.

“What’s up?” he asked, turning back around and looking for his nicer shoes.

“Where are you going?” Aaron’s voice was always an octave lower or two when he was angry and Phil couldn’t help feeling physically tired at the thought of what he was mad about now. 

“It’s really none of your business,” he answered, sitting down and pulling on his shoes.

“It is. You are my family and you are my roomate. I am entitled to know why you are always gone.” Aaron had taken a step into his room and Phil thought about telling him to get out but he knew that would just provoke more of a fight. 

“I’m going out with a friend. Is that alright with you?” Phil said standing up and brushing past him. He grabbed his keys and wallet and started to head out the door when he heard Aaron yell again.

“Who is this friend that you keep spending so much time with?” His arms were crossed so tight across his chest Phil thought that he surely was having a hard time breathing. 

“It’s just my friend Dan. Don’t worry about it.” Phil got into his car before the conversation could go any further. 

He and Dan had talked about telling people that they were together and they had decided to only tell select friends and family since they worked together. The rules at work were just vague enough they knew they couldn’t get in trouble, but weren’t exactly ready for their relationship to be gossip fodder for the whole department. 

He pulled up to Dan’s house and stayed in the car for a moment rather than going inside right away. 

Each time he was home his interactions with Aaron were getting more and more strained. Phil thought that Aaron suspected he was dating Dan, but Phil was afraid to tell him the truth. Aaron’s beliefs made it hard to talk to him about things in general, but bringing Dan into was a whole other issue. Phil felt fiercely protective of Dan and what they had together and was not about to let Aaron interfere.

After a few deep breaths he left his car and headed inside. He tried the door and when it wasn’t locked he walked inside and flopped himself on the couch, sending Dan a text to let him know he was there. After a few minutes Dan came into the room and laid down on top of Phil and kissed him deeply. After a few moments when they were both flushed and slightly hard Dan pulled back and kissed Phil lightly on the nose. 

“Why are you sad?” Dan asked, running his fingers through Phil’s hair. 

“My cousin and I are just arguing again.” Dan nodded. Phil had told him everything about Aaron, about their relationship and how he had issues with Phil’s sexuality. Dan understood that they used to be close but now things were tense and couldn’t help feeling a bit guilty. Phil had reassured him though, that it was not his fault. The issues between them were mostly due to Phil’s inability to stand up for himself and Aaron’s problems with him not being straight. 

“It’ll be okay. Let’s not worry about it tonight.” Phil gave him another small kiss and moved so they could get off the coach. The stood up and Dan put on his shoes. Once they got in Dan’s car, Phil felt his nerves start to come back. Dan must have sensed this because he pulled Phil’s hand to his lips and kissed his knuckles.

“They are gonna love you,” he said smiling. Phil returned the smile and nodded. He could do this. They pulled up to a fancy Italian restaurant and when they got out of the car Dan surprised him by pulling his hand into his own while they walked the short distance to the door. The small gesture made butterflies flood his stomach.

Dan’s family was occupying one of the biggest tables in the room and they were greeted warmly by everyone in the room even though Phil had no idea who anyone was. Dan went around the room and introduced each aunt, uncle, cousin and grandparent there. His parents both gave him hugs and told them how happy they were to meet him, telling him they had heard many wonderful things about him, which made Dan sputter and blush. 

The glass of wine that he was offered helped him unwind a bit and by the end of the evening their end of the table ended up in stitches listening to Phil’s antidotes about calls from work and tales about how clumsy he is. The warm smile and deep dimple on Dan’s face seemed to be a good indication that things went well, but when they get back to Dan’s at the end of the night a text from Dan’s mom saying that they all loved Phil and that he fit right in confirms it and makes him feel like his heart might burst with happiness. 

“See I told you, you had nothing to worry about.” Dan’s smile looked so big it had to be painful. Phil grabbed him and pulled him in for a deep kiss. Dan’s smile was wiped off of his face instantly, returning Phil’s enthusiasm instantly. Dan pressed himself closer to Phil, letting him know just how much he was enjoying these kisses. Phil pressed back and Dan made a happy humming noise in the back of his throat.

“Let’s take this to your room, yea?” Phil said, voice already a bit lower. Dan bit his lip and nodded, grabbing Phil by the hand and leading him. They entered Dan’s room and Phil wasted no time removing Dan’s shirt and pressing kisses to his neck. He let out a high pitched whine and started pulling on Phil’s shirt, seemingly too distracted to undo the buttons. Phil chuckled and stepped away and worked the buttons on his shirt. Dan drug him closer by the belt loops and popped the button on his jeans, pulling them down swiftly. 

While Phil was still undoing the buttons of his shirt Dan dropped to his knees and began palming Phil through his underwear, making him fully hard. Phil’s hips bucked forward and he groaned at the feeling. Dan started to move his underwear down but paused, looking up.

“Is this okay,” he asked. Phil eagerly nodded. Though they hadn’t had sex yet, they had done some things. There had been a few quick handjobs and Phil had given Dan a blowjob one night after they returned from a movie and Dan seemed particularly keyed up. He fell asleep right after and felt terrible the next morning that he hadn’t receprocated but Phil had just laughed and kissed him, aussuring him it wasn’t a big deal. 

He couldn’t deny that he was incredibly turned on to see Dan on his knees in front of him though. Dan smirked at Phil being so eager and quickly removed his last piece of clothing. Phil barely had any time to brace himself before almost his entire cock was in Dan’s warm mouth. He moaned and resisted the urge to thrust forward and chase the wonderful heat. Dan seemed to guess this and placed his hands on Phil’s hips to control the pace. He bobbed his head quickly, flicking his tongue over the tip, making Phil’s eyes roll back in his head.

Far quicker than he expected he could feel the warmth in his belly signalling he was approaching climax. He put his hand on Dan’s shoulder and pressed lightly so Dan would know to stop. Dan leaned back, looking up at Phil with swollen, red lips and Phil almost suggested they continue but knew this wasn’t where he wanted to finish the evening.

“Let’s move to the bed,” Phil said, helping Dan to his feet. He backed him up and when Dan’s knees hit the bed Phil laid on top of him, kissing him greedibly and grinding their hips together. 

Dan thrust up at the feeling, “need more,” he whined. Phil lifted himself slightly off of him and looked him in the eye.

“More?” Phil asked. 

“Yes, more. Please, I want to have sex with you.” Phil kissed him quickly and got up to get items out of Dan’s bedside drawer. He pulled out a condom and lube and moved back to the bed, pulling Dan’s pants and underwear off in one quick swoop. Dan giggled from the abrupt movement and the noise made Phil smile, always happy to the reason for such a wonderful sound.

When they were both completely naked and Phil was laying next to Dan, he started to warm some lube between his fingers.

“You’re still sure right?” Phil asked. 

“Yes,” Dan replied, thrusting his hips up in a desperate attempt to get some friction. Phil started nipping and sucking at his neck while pressing a finger to his hole. Dan took a deep breath, making his body relax around the intrusion, and mewled at the attention his neck was getting. Phil slowly moved his finger in and out, enjoying the sounds Dan was making. When Dan nodded, signalling that he was ready for another finger Phil pressed a second finger in, focusing on finding his prostate to keep him distracted from the stretch.

By the time Dan was fully stretched, Phil thought he was going to go crazy from want. He slid the condom on over his length and added extra lube just in case. He hovered over Dan, who spread his legs and wrapped them around Phil’s waist to bring him closer. Phil took the hint and pushed in slowly. He couldn’t stop the moan that fell from his lips; Dan was tight and hot and felt so incredibly good. He focused on going slow and not doing what every cell in his body was screaming at him to do, and thrust forward and chase his orgasm. 

Once he bottomed out, it took a moment but Dan nodded that he could move and Phil started setting a rhythm. Dan met him pace for pace and clenched around him periodically, making Phil see stars. Phil leaned forward and kissed him. It was uncoordinated and messy, their thrusts making it too hard to continue but Phil was happy for the connection. 

When he felt himself getting close he reached between them to start stroking Dan, who must have been even closer because it was only a few pulls and he was covering Phil’s hand and his stomach. 

The face he made, and the delicious feeling of Dan clenching around him, was enough to send him over the edge and he thrusted a few times and filled the condom. He collapsed onto Dan, who let out a huff and laughed at the sudden weight. Phil pressed light kisses to Dan’s shoulder and lifted his head to press kisses to his cheek, paying extra attention to his dimple. After a few minutes Phil got up and followed Dan in the bathroom to clean up and joined him in bed and pulled him to his chest.

“Thank you,” Phil said quietly. Dan hummed in response, 

“For what?”

“Tonight. I had a great time with your family. And the sex was pretty great.” Dan guffawed at his remark and rolled over.

“You don’t have to thank me for sex dork.” Phil wrapped his arms around him and rubbed small circles on his still bare hip.

“I know. I’m just really happy. You make me really happy.” Dan smiled brightly.

“You make me happy too.” Phil felt his heart rate increase, the next words forming on his tongue. 

“I love you. And like, I know we haven’t been together a long time, and if you don’t feel the same that’s fine. And I -” he was cut off by Dan’s lips on his, a quick but intense kiss. He leaned back and his eyes had practically disappeared he was smiling so big.

“I love you too. So much. I know it’s quick but I’m so happy it’s not just me.” Phil pulled him in for a hug and let out a deep sigh.

“It’s 100% not just you.” They laid down tangled their feet together, basking in each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this only had a quick proof read - please forgive any major oops. :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> warnings for anxiety and homophobic slurs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you to everyone who has stuck with me to the end! I've had such a great time writing this and I hope you've enjoyed reading it!
> 
> if you've enjoyed my writing I will still be posting regularly, I usually try and post on Sundays. you can check out my 'never wanna be EXES' series [here.](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1011780) or the rest of my works [here.](https://archiveofourown.org/users/t_hens/pseuds/t_hens)  
> I will also be participating in the Phandom Big Bang this year and am super excited so you can look forward to that!
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

The next few months flew by. Work had gotten busier and busier, leaving less time to spend together but they managed. Most nights were spent at Dan’s, with perks like privacy and more space, it was the obvious choice over Phil’s cramped apartment he shared with his surly cousin. The nights that were spent seperate left Phil wishing they were together, often staying up way later than he should texting Dan. Phil had never felt this way. He had been in relationships, dated plenty of people, but never felt so attached to another person. He had never told another person that he loved them. It scared him a little, but it also made him feel happier than he ever had before.

It was another busy Friday at work, everyone scrambling to get their work finished by the end of the day. Dan’s supervisor had made him go in “Do Not Disturb” mode all afternoon, leaving Phil happy for once that he had so many files to process since he couldn’t message Dan. He was taking his last break of the day, checking his phone for the first time in hours, and saw a message from Aaron. 

‘I’m going to be out of town for the weekend. I’ll probably be gone by the time you’re off work and I’ll be back sometime around Sunday.’  
‘See this is what a courteous roommate does. They tell their roommate when they are going to be gone.’

Phil rolled his eyes and clicked away from the message, not bothering to reply to the passive aggressive message. Aaron being out of time did give Phil an idea though. He opened his messages back up and sent Dan a text.

‘My cousin is gonna be out of town this weekend, do you wanna stay at my place? We can play Skyrim since you are too cheap to just buy a Playstation lol’

Phil didn’t anticipate an answer but Dan responded right away, several messages right in a row:

‘I’m not cheap, I’m being a responsible adult -_-’  
‘Also fuck yes to Skyrim’  
‘Are you really prepared to be ignored all weekend???’  
‘You know how I get with rpg games’

Phil snorted and then glanced around the hall, hoping no one heard him. He replied letting Dan know that he was okay with him wasting the weekend away playing Skyrim. He was excited to have Dan at his house. The most Dan had been there were for a few tense moments once, when Phil had needed to grab a change of clothes and Phil hadn’t realized Aaron was there. They had walked into the apartment and when Phil saw that Aaron was there and was sitting on the couch, he had been unsure if it would be better to take Dan back into his room or leave him in the kitchen. 

He had chosen the latter, figuring Aaron surely would not approach Dan by himself, but would for sure make a scene if Phil took Dan back into his bedroom. He ran back into his room and threw the first items of clothing he could find into his backpack and rushed back into the kitchen, happy to find Dan and Aaron in the same positions Phil had left them. Phil grabbed Dan’s hand and hurried out the door, but not before he could catch the disgusted look on Aaron’s face.

A weekend in his apartment with no one breathing down his neck, with his boyfriend sounded great. Although Dan’s place was quickly becoming a second home to him, it was still _Dan’s_ home. He often felt like he didn’t have his own home anymore. The apartment had become a hostile place to be since everytime he was there Aaron would pick a fight with him. It was exhausting living with someone who was so against the thing that made him so happy. 

When work was finished they drove up to Dan’s so he could pack a bag and Phil could grab his laptop and chargers. They stopped by the store and got snacks and drinks so they could hole up in the apartment and not have to leave if they didn’t want to. They got the apartment and baked a frozen pizza and Dan put on a movie. 

“I thought you wanted to play Skyrim?” Phil said, setting down his plate and drink on the side table.

“I will tomorrow. Just wanna watch a movie and cuddle tonight.” Phil smiled and bumped shoulders with Dan, unable to give him a proper kiss at the moment since they both had their hands and mouths full of pizza. 

When they finished eating, Phil threw his arm around Dan’s shoulders and they sunk down into the couch and finished the movie. Netflix popped up another movie suggestion and Phil pressed yes, not paying much attention to the selection. He was too comfortable and content to try and find something to pay real attention to. Dan’s eyes were starting to droop halfway through so Phil shoved him up and tugged him towards his room. Dan protested, saying he wasn’t tired and that they could finish the movie, but it only took a minute after his head hit the pillow and he was snoring lightly. Phil smiled and kissed his forehead gently, laying down and falling asleep quickly himself.

***********************************************************

Saturday morning Phil woke up with Dan wrapped around him, pressing light kisses to his neck and naked shoulder. He smiled and turned over to capture Dan’s lips in a surprisingly intense kiss for such a early hour. Dan’s breath caught in his throat but he returned the fervour quickly, pressing his growing length against Phil’s thigh. He groaned at the feeling and yanked Dan’s hips closer to him so he could show Dan that he was happy about the wake up call he had received.

“Wanna take this to the shower?” Phil asked, nosing at Dan’s throat and starting to bite. Dan whined at the feeling, thrusting his hips forward.

“You’re just too lazy to wash your sheets aren’t you?” letting out a breathy chuckle. Phil bit down a little harder, making Dan moan loudly. 

“So what,” he said, pulling back and getting up off the bed. Dan glared up at him, looking wrecked and annoyed, but got up off the bed and followed him to the shower. Phil wasted no time crowding him against the wall and resuming the work on his neck. He sucked a dark mark on Dan’s neck, making him let out what Phil thought he was trying to make sound like an annoyed huff, but was far too breathy and turned on to be successful. Phil wrapped his hand around Dan’s cock and had to press his mouth against Dan’s to capture the loud sounds he was making. He tugged and pulled and soon Dan was coming, his release washing away down the drain. 

Phil leaned back a little and smiled at the dazed and fucked out look on his face. It took a few seconds but he came to and quickly switched their positions, Phil hissing when the cold tiles hit his back. Dan chuckled as he sank to his knees. The coldness of his back was quickly forgotten as Dan took him in his mouth and started sucking deeply. Phil felt like his knees might buckle with the onslaught of pleasure coursing through his veins. He carded his fingers through Dan’s hair and gave him a gentle tug like he knew Dan enjoyed and was rewarded with a gentle hum, the feeling sending another jolt of pleasure up his spine. He didn’t last long, Dan moving away and letting Phil’s cum flow down the drain rather than swallowing since he wasn’t keen on the taste. 

Dan stood up and giving Phil a light kiss and a smile, moving to grab the body wash to start washing his body. Once he was lathered he moved to washing Phil, who had finally stopped feeling so boneless. He enjoyed having Dan’s hands on him in a way that almost seemed more intimate than the moments they had just shared. They washed their hair and got out and dressed in comfortable clothes to lounge in. 

Phil loaded up Skyrim for Dan, handing him the controller and pressing a kiss to his cheek and pulling his laptop onto his lap. Dan quickly got lost in the game, but would occasionally glance over at Phil guiltily like he expected Phil to be sitting there with his arms crossed that Dan was paying attention to a game and not him. After the fifth time Phil rolled his eyes fondly and removed his foot from it’s warm spot under Dan’s thigh so he could poke him in the ribs with his toe. Dan squealed, the action tickling, and paused the game.

“You don’t have to worry that I’m gonna get mad at you for playing. If I didn’t want you to play, or if I wanted us to do something together I would have suggested that, or I would tell you I want to do something together. I’m not gonna be passive aggressive and tell you you can do something and then get mad when you do it. I’m fine on my laptop, you don’t have to worry about entertaining me okay. I’m a big kid.” Phil poked him again, gently this time, and gave him a reassuring smile. 

“I love you a lot. I’ve told you that right.” Dan looked so earnest Phil couldn’t resist the urge to lean forward and kiss him. It was just a quick sweet kiss, but he hoped it held a lot of the feelings that Phil sometimes had a hard time saying.

“I love you a lot too.” Dan grinned, eyes crinkling and dimples on full display, and went back to playing the game. Now felt like one of those moments where Phil felt overwhelmed with how much he loved Dan. The love he felt was big, all consuming, and a tiny bit terrifying but so damn good. He had a person who didn’t feel the need to put on any pretenses with, who loved him for exactly who he was. He was a bit overcome with emotion and went back to his laptop before he did something stupid like propose.

When it was time to eat dinner Phil peeled Dan away from the TV and made him help make food. They made a quick dinner of fajitas and sat back on the couch to watch a movie. When they were finished Dan surprised Phil by pulling him down onto the couch on top of him. Phil huffed out a laugh of surprise.

“Skyrim get you all hot and bothered?” Phil teased, but still nipped and kissed at Dan’s jaw. 

“No, shut up,” Dan laughed, “you’ve just been so far away all day. I missed you.” He turned his head so Phil could move to his neck and collarbones.

“Literally been sitting two feet from you all day,” Phil chuckled, but he understood what Dan meant despite his teasing. He set to work darken the mark he left earlier that day and the conversation was effectively put to an end as Dan whined and tugged Phil closer so most of his weight was pressed on the boy below him.

They made out lazily, taking their time to touch and smile and murmur sweet words to each other, and things were just picking up when the door opened suddenly. Phil shot up, panic coursing through his veins; either the apartment was being broken into or Aaron was home early and neither was a great option for him right now. Once he was stood up he saw that it was the worse of his two fears: Aaron being home. He was standing in the doorway, clearing having seen the two of them on the couch together. His face looked twisted into a mixture of disgust and fear maybe? 

“I thought you were going to be gone all weekend,” Phil said, feet rooted in his spot by the couch. Dan had sat up and his eyes were bouncing back and forth between Phil and Aaron, waiting for Aaron’s response.

“I was supposed to be. I was staying at a friend’s but he got the flu or something. He was puking so I had to come home. Probably should have stayed there though. I’d rather get the flu than be around some homos” he sneered. Phil’s fists clenched and he took a step forward but felt Dan’s hand wrap around his wrist stopping him. He glanced down and Dan was shaking his head. He nodded his head, not wanting to upset Dan and knowing it wouldn’t be worth it to start a fight.

“Fuck you Aaron,” he said, and pulled Dan with him out of the room to leave. Thankfully Dan had his wits about him enough to grab their wallets and keys off of the table. When they started to walk out Phil couldn’t help ramming his shoulder into Aaron’s.

When they got to the car Phil had started shaking, both from anger and adrenaline so Dan gently led him to the passenger seat and drove them to his house. By this point Phil was full on sobbing, unable to keep his emotions in check after dealing with the same issues for so long. Dan brought him inside and took him straight to bed, carefully removing his shirt and pants and helping him into bed. 

“I’m sorry,” Phil sobbed, “you shouldn’t have to hear that.” Dan shushed him, and pulled him to his chest and rubbing his back soothingly.

“It’s not the first, or the last time I’m probably going to hear that. I’m sorry he said that to _you._ He’s your family and he shouldn’t treat you like, no matter how he feels.” Phil didn’t say anything back to that. He knew Dan was right. He shouldn’t have to feel like that, he knew he wasn’t wrong for feeling the way that he did. Loving Dan couldn’t possibly be wrong when it made him happier than he had ever been, so why couldn’t Aaron see that.

“I hate being there. I don’t wanna go back and talk to him.” Phil sniffled, calming down a little. Dan shrugged,

“So why don’t you just move in with me?” He asked quietly. Phil sat up and looked at him. Dan looked a little bashful and nervous.

“I mean - only if you want. I don’t want to like, pressure you into anything.” Phil tackled him with a hug, knocking the breath out of both of them. Once they had their bearings again Phil sat up,

“Are you sure?” Dan nodded,

“I’ve been meaning to ask you for a while. You spend all your time here anyway.” Phil smiled and kissed him. Each time he thought he couldn’t love him anymore Dan found some way to prove him wrong.

*************************************************

3 months later

**************************************************

The email was a complete surprise and even after reading it three times through, Phil wasn’t still completely convinced that it was meant for him. He forwarded it to Dan and waited for his response. It came about 30 seconds later, though it felt longer to Phil.

‘So are you gonna take it?’ Dan’s message said. Phil ponders that for a moment. They had talked about him switching departments before, if things got serious between them and they needed to come out to everyone it would be a good option to look into. Phil liked the company and liked being able to be on the same campus as Dan, who couldn’t leave his position as easily. 

‘I'm not sure. I need to think about it more.’ 

‘Okay’ Dan replied, and Phil exited out of the chat. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to take a new job. Aubrey and the rest of his friends would likely kill him. And besides they had discussed just talking to their manager and letting her know about their relationship. They had already spoke to HR and knew they couldn’t get in trouble for their relationship but hadn’t decided if they wanted everyone knowing about them. They made sure they took separate breaks, they didn’t hold hands or show affection in public but it was starting to wear on them both. 

Phil looked at the time and realized it was time to log out. He texted Dan that it was time to leave and walked out so he could meet him in the car. He was playing a mindless app when Dan came to the car. 

“Hey,” Phil said, starting to lean forward for a kiss before catching himself. He sat back and rubbed at his temples, a headache building. Dan pulled at his hand.

“Hey, it’s okay. It’s Friday, let’s go get some dinner.” Phil nodded and pulled out of the parking lot. Those chose their favorite sushi place and both got a drink to go with their food. By the end of the meal they were both feeling full and relaxed from the great food and liquor.

“The bar across the street has pokèmon drinks, we should go try them!” Dan said excitedly. Phil smiled and agreed. They paid their bill and walked across the road to the bar. They sat at a secluded table and ordered drinks, Phil chose the bulbasaur and Dan chose Pikachu after grumbling about arceus erasure. 

It was a stupid comment, something silly and dorky and 100% something he had probably said something along the lines of before but Phil felt that pull again. That feeling in his gut that made him feel so completely overcome with the love he felt for the boy in front of him. He did the only thing that seemed to make sense in the moment; walk over to Dan’s side of the table and kiss him. 

Dan kissed him back, it was a reflex at this point for both of them. When he pulled back he looked a little surprised but happy.

“What was that for?” He asked. Phil searched his face and found all the love he felt reflected in those brown eyes he loved so much.

“You wanna get married?” Phil asked. It wasn’t the proposal he had been thinking of. It was in a dingy bar, without rings, with no one but strangers to witness it but the look on Dan’s face told him that it probably didn’t matter.

“Of course,” Dan said. He surged forward and kissed Phil again, them both forgetting they were in public and at a bar until they got a wolf whistle and a good natured call to get a room. They broke apart blushing. They separated a little but didn’t move apart, Phil keeping an arm around Dan’s waist.

“I do have some bad news though.” Dan furrowed his brows in confusion. “We’re gonna have to have that conversation with our manager now.” Dan rolled his eyes and shoved Phil a little.

“You’re worth it.” Phil smiled and kissed Dan, his future husband.

**Author's Note:**

> @tobieallison on tumblr


End file.
